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Pitch To Rogers Ventures At Wavefront In August

Blue Castle Games [1]Blue Castle Games [1]‘ Dead Rising® 2: Case Zero, will be available on August 31st exclusively to Xbox 360® gamers via Xbox Live® Arcade at a cost of 400 MS Points. A unique and stand alone piece of content, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero acts as a prologue, introducing players to the main protagonist, Chuck Greene and provides a glimpse of the action to come when Dead Rising 2 releases in North America on September 28th, Japan on September 30th and throughout European and Australian territories on October 1st.

Set two years after the Willamette incident chronicled in the original Dead Rising® and three years Dead Rising 2: Case Zero [2]before the start of Dead Rising 2, Chuck along with his young infected daughter, Katey, find themselves trapped in the zombie infested desert town of Still Creek. It’s up to Chuck to find a way out of town, and locate the Zombrex Katey must take to prevent her from joining the ranks of the undead.

Just like in the full game, players in Dead Rising 2: Case Zero will use Chuck’s handyman skills and a roll of duct tape to combine two items to create powerful combo weapons. Not only do combo weapons make killing zombie sprees more fun but they also have the added benefit of earning Chuck additional ‘Prestige Points’ which in turn result in quicker leveling up.

Players who download Dead Rising 2: Case Zero and then go on to buy Dead Rising 2 will be able to carry over character attributes earned such as ‘Player Level’, to a maximum of five, ‘Prestige Points’ alongside skills, ‘Combo Cards’ and a number of alternate outfits.

“With Dead Rising 2: Case Zero we had two goals: provide newcomers with an easy point of entry to the Dead Rising universe, and give fans of the series an insight into what took place after Frank West survived the outbreak at the Willamette Mall,” said Keiji Inafune, Capcom’s Head of R&D Management Group and Executive Producer for Dead Rising 2. “We have certainly achieved both of these ambitions but I am equally pleased that we are able to give gamers so much unique and entertaining content at such a great price.”
endloop [3]
For all of you developer types with iPads, Endloop [3] has released the newest iteration of iMockups. With lots of bug fixes, iMockups v1.08 also has loads of new features, some of which are featured in this short video:

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iMockups is available now in the iTunes App Store [4] for a very reasonable $9.99.

According to Big Stack’s [5] last tweet, Ph03nix New Media [6] has just launched their latest Facebook game, Solitaire [7]Solitaire and the City [7] and the City [7]. I can’t find much in the way of information about the game other than an icon and its Facebook page thought, which is a little disappointing as this makes it difficult to give you any advance information you’d like to have before giving the game a try.

Mafia® II [8] (2K Games), a title which Vancouver’s Massive Bear Studio [9] had a hand in, will have a downloadable demo available worldwide on August 10 for the PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® and Windows PC. Set in the fully realized and immersive 1940’s and 1950’s American urban cityscape of Empire Bay, soon all gamers will be able to experience the decadent and meticulously crafted atmosphere, intense shooting and driving gameplay, and character narrative in the M rated Mafia II that is set to be released on August 24 in North America.Massive Bear [9]

The Mafia II demo invites gamers to dive into the “Buzzsaw” level, where Vito and his buddies, Joe and Henry, are sent to take out a mobster known as “The Fat Man”. While the epic game spans two decades, the Buzzsaw demo takes place during the summer of the ‘50s – a time considered the “Birth of Cool”, and with it, rock ‘n’ roll, hot rods, and rebellious attitudes. The demo showcases the type of vibrant edge-of-your-seat action, as well as a slice of the expansive city of Empire Bay in the colorful era.

Mafia II looks to be the industry’s most compelling action crime game to date. Players take control of Vito Scaletta, who is making a name for himself on the streets of Empire Bay. He’s someone who can be trusted to get a job done. Together with his buddy Joe, he is working to prove himself to the Mafia quickly escalating up the family ladder with crimes of larger reward, status and consequences… the life as a wise guy isn’t quite as untouchable as it seems.

wavefront [10]Wavefront AC [10] has just announced a Rogers Ventures Matchmaking Session [11] for Canadian entrepreneurs and innovators that will be held in Vancouver on August 23rd. To reiterate the Wavefront announcement, this is a great opportunity for wireless and new media startups looking for Seed or Series A funding. On average, Rogers Ventures invests $250K-$1M in companies and investment can go larger or smaller depending on the company’s requirements and the opportunity.

Rogers Ventures [12] will be pre-selecting companies to Rogers Ventures [12]participate in this matchmaking session. Wavefront will notify selected companies on August 16th to coordinate meeting time and preparation details. Each participant company will have 15 minutes to pitch their idea and a 15-minute Q&A session afterward. Please see the Wavefront information page [11] for complete details on how to apply and to see if you have what Rogers Ventures is looking for in a startup.

The Banff Centre [13]The incredible Kinnear Centre for Creativity & Innovation [14] opens at The Banff Centre [13] on July 24, 2010, capping a six-year, $100-million capital project at the renowned Rocky Mountain arts and conference centre located in Banff National Park, Alberta.

This 21,000 sq. ft. facility will be the new hub of The Banff Centre, with three levels of learning and meeting rooms, innovative rehearsal and performance space, plus informal gallery areas, cafe/lounge and the Paul D. Fleck Library & Archives.

Building in a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Park has its challenges, and the architecture firm was well prepared, having already done the Banff Centre Master Plan (2004) and the Centre’s Sally Borden Building (2007). “The multi-disciplinary purposes of the Banff Centre and its setting have guided the design to ensure the protection of the natural beauty, wildlife and environment within the park”, said Jack Diamond, principal with Diamond and Schmitt Architects. The Kinnear Centre is a Kinnear Centre Photo By Donald Leed, The Banff Centre [15]welcoming and inspirational space suffused with natural light that fills the atrium. Classrooms and meeting areas have floor to ceiling windows offering exceptional mountain views with balconies and exterior wood slats to mitigate glare that might otherwise disturb wildlife migration through the park. A zinc cladding resembles the extant weathered cedar of other buildings on campus.

The Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives, one of Canada’s premier arts libraries, is home to thousands of music scores and recordings, a rare collection of art books, and more than 75 years of historical cultural documents accumulated since the inception of The Banff Centre.

The building scheme employs a variety of sustainable initiatives including an efficient exterior building envelope, sun shading to reduce energy use and a storm water management system, all of which meets the requirements for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver standards.

“The Kinnear Centre is an interdisciplinary crossroads – a meeting place where innovative arts and ideas, and creative leadership will flourish,” said Mary E. Hofstetter, President & CEO, The Banff Centre.

Dignitaries attending the opening ceremony include HRH The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, The Honourable Donald Ethell, Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta, Jeff Kovitz, Chair, Banff Centre Board of Governors, Mary E. Hofstetter, President & CEO, The Banff Centre and Jack Diamond and Donald Schmitt, principals at Diamond and Schmitt Architects.